Oglala Sioux Tribe Says BIA Report Is Delayed

pine ridge, sd

The Oglala Sioux Tribe in South Dakota says they are upset that the Bureau of Indian Affairs has failed to assess the tribe's unmet needs of the tribal courts and police systems.

The tribe in a news release says the BIA's Office of Justice Services has failed to prepare a final copy of an unmet needs assessment. The tribe says the report is necessary to gauge the level of services needed within the reservation's justice system.

James Toby Big Boy is the chairman for the tribe's law and order committee. He says that without the report, the tribe will have trouble negotiating funding to combat crime on the reservation.

BIA spokeswoman Nedra Darling says the assessment is completed and under review.